117th Boston Marathon: Local runners had their day

Tuesday

Apr 16, 2013 at 3:15 AMApr 16, 2013 at 3:14 PM

Editor's note: Staff sports writer John Doyle spoke to a number of local runners at the finish line at the 117th Boston Marathon on Monday. His report and the runners' comments reflect events that took place before the bombing incident that overshadowed the race.

By John Doyle

jdoyle@fosters.com

BOSTON — Before tragedy cast a pall over the 117th Boston Marathon on Monday, it was a memorable day for a number of local runners.

Nottingham's Brandon Newbould, 31, returned to Boston from a three-year absence to finish in two hours, 25 minutes, 45 seconds, earning the honor as the state's top performer for the third time.

“I've made some big breakthroughs between then and now,” Newbould said. “It's been a few years. I'm running at a different level now.”

Newbould was the top New Hampshire finisher in 2008 and 2009, but had not run the Boston Marathon since. He had a somewhat rough go of it on Monday, becoming ill near the 20-mile mark, but managed to stave off nausea until the finish line.

“I ran my best time here, and I thought I recovered well, because I puked my guts out in Newton,” Newbould said. “And I just lost it again right there at the finish. (I) couldn't believe I had that much in my gut.”

Right behind Newbould was Portsmouth's Andrew Huebner, 25, who crossed the finish line in 2:27:41, earning second-place among Granite State runners.

“I feel like I could have done better,” Huebner said. “But it's a tough course. You have to learn from it. It's tough to figure out. You don't want to break on the downhills, you want to use them a little bit.”

Dover's Ryan Stephens, 26, was the third-place male among local racers, finishing in 2:39:32. It was his first Boston Marathon.

“It was great weather, good people cheering, and it was great,” Stephens said. “I wanted to go under 2:40, so I just barely made it.”

The top local female was Nottingham's Nataliya Tereshchenko, who finished in 3:07:52. The top local female from Maine was Kittery's Beth Lindquist, 46, who clocked in with a time of 3:33:06.

The top local male runner from Maine was Tim Carven of Kittery Point. Carven, 49, missed last year's race because of a stomach virus, and was happy with his 2:50:02 time in his comeback race.

“It felt great to be back,” Carven said. “I'm so excited to be able to take part in an event like this.”

Josh Andrews, 24, of Portsmouth finished in 2:41:37.

“The hills are famous for a reason,” Andrews said. “They certainly kicked my butt. The last five miles was just complete gut. But it was a fun experience and I'll never forget it.”

Former University of New Hampshire runner Erica Jesseman, 36, who now lives in Scarborough, Maine, finished her first Boston Marathon in 2:44:35.

“I went out real hard,” Jesseman said. “I definitely felt in the second half. Oh my god, so many people, it was unbelievable. It was a really cool race.”

“The weather was perfect and I beat my personal best by about two minutes, so I'm very happy with that,” Marshall said. “This was the best so far. Last year I got hurt two weeks before the race. This was a great day.”

Dover's Tim Horan, 31, finished in 2:43:37 in his first Boston Marathon. He wore a wristband with his time goal for every mile, and was happy to report that he hit each goal to near perfection.

“I stuck with my pace and hit my splits almost exactly where I wanted to,” Horan said. “I came in nine seconds off what I planned for. The hills weren't bad. A couple of miles after the hills, my legs really started to feel the fatigue. It's downhill, but it's deceptive. I was starting to get real tired.”

Dover's Brian Betournay, 31, a veteran of several Boston Marathons, finished in 2:50:30.

“I'm psyched,” Betournay said. “I worked a little harder in training this year. My wife and I are expecting a baby in a month. So this was my last pre-baby Boston. I tried to make it a good one, and I'm really happy. I had a five-minute PR today.”

Monday's weather conditions were close to ideal for running, with temperatures in the high 50s. It was a stark contrast to a year before, when temps reached the high 80s.

“Last year, nobody could really focus on running a good time, it was just so hot,” Betournay said. “This year it was a lot more comfortable. In and out of the clouds, it was a little warm, but nothing compared to last year.”

Colby Nixon 23, of Eliot, Maine, finished his third Boston Marathon in 2:54:10.

“I didn't take in any food the entire time, just water,” Nixon said. “So I was kind of running on empty the entire time. But I felt great. It was a good race.”

Dover's Bruce Lander is a veteran of 22 Boston Marathons and crossed the finish line on Monday in 3:21:21.

“This was probably the best one,” Lander said. “I'm getting older, so they're getting harder, but I'm getting it done.”

The top New Hampshire female overall was Alexandra Varanka, 27, of Amherst, with a time of 2:54:35. Sheri Piers, 41, of Falmouth was Maine's top female at 2:39:25. Robert Gomez, 29, of Saco was Maine's top male at 2:22:53.